Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Plavina variety (Lacombe, Boursiquot, Laou-
cou, Dechesne, Varès, and This 2007).
Historically, Verdeca was used in the pro-
duction of vermouth, a popular aperitif in
twentieth-century Italy, and wasn't used to
make much wine of note at all. What was
turned into vermouth was blended with Bianco
d'Alessano to make the Locorotondo white
wine—cheap, cheerful, and nothing more. Ver-
deca has a conical bunch with medium-large,
oval berries, and is productive and resistant to
most diseases. It is grown especially in central
Puglia, in the provinces of Bari and Taranto,
and in the countryside around Alberobello,
Crispiano, Locorotondo, and Martina Franca.
Li Veli* (Askos), Rosa del Golfo* (Bolina, with
80 percent Verdeca, 20 percent Chardonnay;
I'd get rid of the latter, but the wine is crisp
fresh, a real success), Feudi di San Marzano*
(Sud), and Feudi Salentini (Luporano). These
last two are reportedly made with 100 percent
Verdeca.
Verdello
where it's found:
Umbria, Tuscany, Lazio.
national registry code number:
253.
color:
white.
Though Verdello is just one of many grape
varieties in Italy so called because of its green
berries, it was always believed to be unrelated
to other green grapes such as Verdeca, Verdic-
chio, or Verduzzo. Also rarely called Duroper-
sico, Verdetto has also been used as a synonym
for Verdello, but not all I have talked to over the
years believe that these two are identical. Its
presence is fi rst mentioned around Orvieto in
the nineteenth century and then by Molon
(1906), and some researchers today hypothe-
size a similarity, or at least a relationship, to
Portugal's Verdelho, but this remains unproven.
Recently, Crespan, Armanni, Da Rold, De
Nardi, Gardiman, Migliaro, et al. (2012) stud-
ied twenty-five accessions of Verdicchio,
Verdello, and Verduschia genotyped at eleven
SSR markers, and because only one DNA pro-
fi le was obtained for all twenty-fi ve accessions,
they logically concluded that the three varieties
are identical. I have no doubt that this is so, but
as there are myriad green-named grape varie-
ties in Italy today, I fi nd it hard to extrapolate
this to all other varieties with similar names
grown in the country. And while Verduschia
is rare enough that its shared identity with Ver-
dicchio is easier to accept, the plethora of
Verdello-named grapes out there recommends
caution, because it may be that there are
“Verdello” grapevines that are not Verduschia
or Verdicchio. For example, Cartechini and
Moretti (1989) do not believe that the Verdic-
chio of the Marche and Verdello are the same
cultivar.
Which Wines to Choose and Why
In the last few years, Verdeca has been increas-
ingly used to make monovarietal wines of some
distinction, and some are promising. I'm not
sure that all the wines are 100 percent Verdeca,
but they are very enjoyable and bright and have
given the variety a new lease on life: if they
don't quite grant it entry into the big leagues, at
least they get it close. Given enough time, any
native variety with some potential can blast
back from a nondescript past to possible wine
stardom.
Verdeca was, and is, almost always used in
blends with Bianco d'Alessano to make the
DOC wines Locorotondo and Martina. It can
also be part of the blend of the DOC Lacryma
Christi of Campania. The wine is fresh and
crisp, with delicately herbal and green-apple
fl avors. Some producers choose to blend it with
aromatic varieties such as Minutolo: this is not
a good idea in my view, as the delicate Verdeca
presence is all but lost.
wines to try:
I Pastini-Lino Carparelli***
(Faraone; dry and taut, with a laser beam of
acidity, delicate white fruit, and herbal aromas
and fl avors), Leone de Castris** (Messapia;
excellent and a huge success, with a delicate
spiciness reminiscent of Incrocio Manzoni
Bianco or even a high-quality Ribolla Gialla
wine), Masseria Ludovico** (Occhio di Sole),
